Web tensioning device for roll-fed presses



April 10, 1962 H. A. I oTz 3,029,038

WEB TENsIoNING DEVICE FOR ROLL-FED PRESSES Fil'ed NOV. 25. 1959 mVENroR. Hema/4.10 j

M/KM@ United States Patent 3,029,038 WEB TENSIONING DEVICE FR ROLL-FED PRESSES Herbert A. Lotz, 721 E. 57th St., Minneapolis, Minn. Filed Nov. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 854,774 2 Claims. (Cl. 242-7541) This invention relates broadly to roll fed presses, more particularly to the control of web tension on the web roll of web paper being drawn to said presses and specifically to the control of said web tension by the use of compressed iiuids and spring tension cooperating with a conventional torque motor.

The present invention is in the nature of an improve- Iment over the devices and combination of devices disclosed and claimed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,334,164 issued to me of date November 16, 1943 and entitled, Web Tensioning Device, and has for its principal object the use and embodiment of a controlled compressed fluid operating alone or in combination with spring tension and cooperating with a conventional torque motor to automatically control the tension on the conventional 4friction straps working on the peripheral moving surfaces of a web roll from which web paper is being drawn to a press.

A further object4 of this invention is to provide a web tensioning device for roll-fed presses wherein said invention acts as an evener for the friction straps and to enhance and improve the operation and effect of the conventional torque motor assembly alone by accelerating the action of the same on the said friction straps acting on the web roll.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification and claims when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings which form a part of this application and in which drawings, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

It is desirable and important at this point to note that while the drawings illustrate only a single friction strap working on the peripheral surface of a web roll that it will be understood that in a normal installation, a plurality of friction straps cooperating with an equal number of units of the instant invention are used to control-web tension.

It is still further important to note that in the interest of brevity and clarity that certain elements of a printing press as an entirety illustrated on the drawing are not involved in the inventive concept claimed herein and accordingly such elements will only be referred to generally and as may be required to clearly deline the invention or cooperating elements.

It is still further important to note that the heretofore identified compressed fluid will hereinafter be referred to as compressed air, however, no `such limitation is intended to be imposed upon the appended claims.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the following devices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

YFIG. 1 is aside elevational View illustrating certain lelements of a printing press and showing one embodiment of the invention partly in section cooperating therewith.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view showing a modification of the invention partly in section for use in an installation as shown in FlG. 1.

This invention is intended -for use in connection with high speed presses of the roll-fed type that are customarily used in the printing of newspapers and the like and for the purpose of this application it is important to note the roll stand 3 and its rotatable reel assembly; the

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mounted web rolls 4; and the web paper 5 being drawn to the press, not shown7 from one of said web rolls 4. The numeral 6 indicates the lioor structure supporting the above named elements of a press assembly and the numeral 7 indicates a `depression or pit in the floor 6, a portion of which depression or pit is covered by a removable access plate 7.

It is further important yfor a full understanding of the invention to note a plurality of directional idler rollers used to guide therweb paper 5 to the press. These directional or guide rollers 8 and 9 respectively operate in cooperation with a spring loaded adjustable roller 10, and a floating tensioning roller 11 actuated and controlled by a plurality of counterweights 12. 'the rollers 8, 9, and 1,0 are mounted on horizontally disposed shafts 1?: journaled at each end portion thereof in lixed depending vbrackets 14. A relatively short depending fixed bracket 14 affords a mounting station for a rocker shaft 15; rocker arms 15'; the floating tensioning roller 11, and the counterweights 12. The above named parts are conventional elements of an assembly as described here and are not involved in the-inventive concept herein described and claimed. Itl will be understood by anyone skilled in the art that a dash pot, not shown, is provided to retard and control the action of the floating tensioning roller 1l.

As is well known in the art, the rotation of the web roll 4 is motivated by the action of the presses and is controlled by a plurality of friction straps 16 connected at the lower end portion of each thereof to a unit of the subject invention and at the upper end portion of each thereof to cooperating drum type pulleys 17 mounted and rigidly keyed or otherwise secured against axial rotation on a shaft 18 journaled in depending brackets 19.

An electric torque motor 20 having driving connections with the shaft 18 and its mounted drum type pulleys is automatically activated when the presses are running, is constructed and arranged through said driving connections, to roll the respective friction straps 16 on each respective drum type pulley to which the upper end portion of said friction straps are tightly secured. This effort of the torque motor 2t) in combination and cooperating With the elements of the subject invention as will be presently described, control and equalize the tension of each respective friction strap 16 working on the peripheral surfaces of the web roll 4, web paper 5 is drawn from said web roll and fed to the presses, not shown.

Referring now to the invention specifically to which the lower end portion of the friction straps 16 are connected,rthe numeral 21 indicates a channel-like base, the sides, bottom and outer end portion of which are closed; the top and inner end portion being open for reasons that will become apparent. This base 21 is rigidly secured to the iioor of the depression or pit 7 in the floor 6 by means of at least one pair of beaded bolts 22. An idler directional pulley 23 of the drum type is mounted on a shaft 24, the end portions of which are journaled in the side plates of the channel-like base 21 adjacent the inner end portion thereof.

A compressed air cylinder 25, having a piston 26 and a piston rod 27 is mounted for free endwise and axial movements in a horizontal plane in the channel-like base v21 and is supported at its inner end portion by a clevislike fitting 28 formed in an inwardly projected portion of the piston rod 27 which extends outwardly of the cylinder 25. The said fitting 28 at its free end portion is in turn connected to the lower free end portion of the friction strap 16. A bracket 29 is rigidly secured to the outer longitudinal surfaces of the cylinder 25 and is connected at its outer end portion to the inner end of a rod 30 that extends outwardly through an aperture in the end closure of the channel-like base 21. The outer end portion of the rod 34) is threaded and nut-equipped and a coiled spring 31 encircles the rod 30 and has for its base of resistance the outer surface of the said end closure of the channel-like base 21. It will be obvious that by tightening or loosening the nut on the outer end of the rod 30, with the spring 31 interposed between the said end closure and the nut, adjustment and tension of the connected components can be selectively varied.

A constant supply of compressed air is derived from a conventional air compressor and compressed air storage tank, not shown, is introduced to each individual cylinder 25 by means of flexible connections 32 leading from a fixed supply line 33. A shut-off control valve 34 is provided for the lead to each cylinder 2S in the bank of said cylinders provided for each roll stand unit and its rotatable reel assembly 3.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the lower end portion of the friction strap 16 is supported by its connection to the extension of the piston rod 27 and the clevis-like link 2S. lt will be further understood that the length of the said friction strap 16 in its entirety, having full regard for the movement of the piston 26 in the cylinder 25, and with the torque motor shut off is such that said friction straps 16 will extend around the web roll 5 in the form of a peripheral segmental wrap. The torque motor 20 is energized at all times unless manually shut-off and its action, in combination with the compressed air acting upon the piston 26 will tension the friction straps 16 against the web roll 4 and continue that tension as the said web roll diminishes in diameter as the web paper 5 is drawn therefrom to the press by the combined effort of the torque motor and the action of the invention herein described.

The coiled spring 31 imparts a further cushioning effect to the cylinder and its head of compressed air when the device is activated by the running press.

lReferring now to the modification of the invention as shown in FIG. 2 it is obvious that the same is essentially the same as that disclosed in FIG. 1. This modification differs only in the fact that compressed air alone is used without the benefit of the effort of the coiled spring 31. A simple angular fitting 35 is provided in place of the rod to support the outer end portion of the cylinder 25. This angular fitting 35 is rigidly secured to the end closure of the channel-like base 21 and to the outer end of the bracket 29' attached to the cylinder 25 and its connected components.

For the purpose of this application it will be understood that the rotatable roll stand and reel assembly 3 is loaded with full web rolls 4 and that the web paper 5 is properly threaded over the rollers 8, 9, 10, and 11 respectively and thence to the press. It will also be understood that a constant supply of compressed air is available from the compressor and the air storage tank and is directed to the bank of cylinders 25 via the fixed supply line 33 and the respective exible connections 32.

In considering the operation of the subject invention, it is not thought to be necessary to further describe the purpose of the operation, and control of the torque motor 20 cooperating with the frictional straps 16 as the same is old and well known in the art. As above stated the inventive concept involved herein concerns the use of compressed air in a cylinder 25 in combination with resilient spring mounting of said cylinder and/or the use of the compressed air alone without the spring tensioned mounting of the cylinder, cooperating with the effort of the torque motor to control the tension of the friction straps 16 acting on a segment of the periphery of the web roll as the same is rotated as it is drawn to the press in the form of the web paper sheet. Particular reference is made to the fact that the tension imparted by the combined efforts of the torque motor and the subject invention and the respective connected components impart a braking action to control the tendency of the revolving web roll to over-run as the presses are slowed and/or stepped. The effect of the action of the invention cooperating with the torque motor greatly enhances the operation of the torque motor and tends to accelerate its action on the friction straps and by further acting to insure the even run of said friction straps during high speed operation of the press. This strap evening action is not found in installations wherein the lower end portions of the friction straps are inflexibly secured.

While there are herein disclosed but a limited number of embodiments of the structure, process and product of the invention herein presented, it is possible to produce other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations be imposed on the appended claims as are stated herein or required by the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. Web tensioning equipment for roll-fed printing presses comprising in combination, a friction strap having a peripheral segmental wrap about the surface of a web roll of paper being drawn to a printing press, a torque motor electrically energized having driving connections with an adjacently mounted drum type pulley to which the upper end of the friction strap is connected and means coordinated with the operating press to energize and control the operation of said torque motor, at least one compressed air cylinder having a supply of compressed air, a piston and a piston rod mounted beneath the torque motor and connected by the piston rod to the lower end portion of said friction strap, a longitudinally disposed bracket secured rigidly to the cylinder and a fitting secured to the outer end portion of the bracket, said fitting being connected to a rigid support, means for controlling the flow of compressed air to the cylinder and for coordinating the effort of the torque motor and the piston in said cylinder to impart a continuous tension and braking force on the rotating web roll by the friction strap interposed between the torque motor, its drum type pulley and the cylinder and its piston.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein the said rigid support comprises a channel-like base plate rigidly secured to a supporting floor, said base plate having a closed bottom, sides and one end portion, the top and other end portion thereof being open, said base plate being positioned beneath the torque motor and the rotating web roll, a directional guide roller journaled in the side plates of the channel-like base plate under which the friction strap runs to its connection with the piston rod.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,086,068 Cline et al. July 6, 1937 2,332,310 Durham Oct. 19, 1943 2,334,164 Lotz Nov. 16, 1943 2,364,201 Frankboner Dec. 5, 1944 2,743,881 McWhorter May l, 1956` 

